[New Taipei City News] The tension is higher than ever! The 2023 Ever Glory Cup International Charity Basketball Invitational is taking place from September 4th to September 17th at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium and Nanshan High School. Today (September 11th), New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-Ih attended the opening ceremony. In addition to thanking the event’s founder, Chairman Hsieh Chien-Kuo of Ever Glory Construction Corporation, for creating a grassroots basketball exchange platform, Mayor Hou encouraged all participating athletes to uphold the spirit of the competition and jointly contribute to the vigorous development of domestic basketball.

Mayor Hou Yu-Ih stated that since its inception in 2013, the Ever Glory Cup has been committed to “encouraging and nurturing student athletes” and has created a high-quality grassroots basketball competition platform. The scale of the event has grown year by year, making it the most iconic basketball event in Taiwan. This year, the event has specially invited five international teams from Japan, Korea, the United States, and the Philippines to Taiwan to compete against domestic high school and college teams, providing domestic students with a more challenging competitive stage. The Mayor mentioned that traditional High School Basketball League (HBL) powerhouses from New Taipei City, including Tamsui Vocational High School, Nanshan High School, and Neng Ren Vocational High School, have all been invited to participate. He also called on them to use this event as a training ground and bring back both the men’s and women’s championships to New Taipei City in the 112th academic year.

The Mayor emphasized that since 2021, New Taipei City has been cultivating athletic talents through public-private partnerships with professional teams. With a 4-level development system, the city provides athletes with comprehensive career care, allowing them to have a longer sports career. In terms of professional development, the T1 League, P+ League, and SBL all offer opportunities for student athletes to transition to professional careers. New Taipei City is taking practical actions to support the development of professional basketball with the “New Taipei City CTBC Attack Team” and the “New Taipei City Kings Team.”

The 10th Ever Glory Cup is taking place simultaneously at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium and Nanshan High School Gymnasium from September 4th to September 17th. In addition to gathering 51 elite teams from domestic high schools and colleges, it has specially invited teams from Japan, led by U18 men’s basketball head coach Shinya Mizuno of Fukushima Commercial High School, and Ohka Gakuen High School, which holds the record for the most national high school championships in Japan and a single-game score record of “268:0.” Also the Korean high school women’s champion Bundang Business High School, the training house for Ma Chien-Hao and world elites pursuing dreams in the United States, The Skill Factory (TSF), and the Philippines’ High School of Ateneo de Manila University for exchange matches. Admission is free every day, and various themed games, lottery activities, and market booths are planned. For more information, please visit the Ever Glory Cup official website and the New Taipei Sports Hub Facebook fan page.